Wipro accused of sexism; dragged to court

MUMBAI, INDIA: Wipro, one of the top 5 IT services companies in India, also known for ethical best practices, is defending accusations of predatory sexism in a London court.

A 39-year-old former female employee, Shreya Ukil has accused Wirpo of breeding culture of predatory sexism, and has alleged that male colleagues boasted they had invited escorts to sales conferences. Ukil has dragged the IT major to the employment tribunal.

“Wipro takes serious objection to the scurrilous allegations made against the company and will initiate legal action to defend itself against insidious and defamatory allegations.  The company has built its business over the years by ensuring it adheres to the highest standards of integrity, fairness, and ethical corporate practices. Any transgression of these beliefs and policies are dealt with expeditiously and with the strictest action. Our guiding principles have always been matters of the highest priority for our leadership and they have consistently set the tone from the top, through examples in action and thought," Wipro India said in an email statement.

Meanwhile, David Barrett, in his report in The Telegraph made the shocking revelation that male workers at the London office Wipro branded women colleagues lesbians, visited strip clubs and were encouraged to have affairs.

Quoting Ukil’s statements at the tribunal, Barrett reported that she was subjected to a deeply predatory, misogynistic culture at Wipro, an India-based firm with more than 1,60,000 employees worldwide. In a £1million compensation bid, Ukil also alleged she was forced into having an affair with an older boss. The atmosphere for women employees at Wipro was toxic, she alleged. "The culture within Wipro requires women to be subservient," she told the Tribunal.

Male colleagues boasted they had invited escorts to their rooms at sales conferences and a top executive misbehaved with a Mexican dancer during a company jolly in Las Vegas, the tribunal was told, the Telegraph reported. "He told me he was having a lot of fun because the main events at the sales conference were getting drunk, visiting strip clubs and attending some meetings."

She was not invited to the company's annual sales conference in Las Vegas in May 2012 but colleague Praneet Pittal did attend and telephoned her from the US. "I honestly believed that this was the main reason that I was not asked to attend. It was a boys' outing. He also told me that one of the senior leaders, Soumitra Ghosh, Global Head, Banking Vertical, had got very drunk and had misbehaved with one of the Mexican dancers at the awards evening during the conference,” she alleged.

In a sexual discrimination and equal pay claim at the central London employment tribunal, Ukil alleged she was manipulated into an affair with married Senior Vice President, Manoj Punja, 54.

On one business trip to Stockholm in 2013, Punja allegedly told Ukil the silk blouse she was wearing was too tight for her body type because of her big breasts. He also told her she was like a seductive dancer from Indian mythology, the tribunal heard, the Telegraph reported.

On one occasion Punja started talking about escort services in one of the sales conferences where he had been ... and that they had escorts coming up to their rooms, she alleged. Indian-born Ukil said she embarked on the affair despite finding Punja's conversation inane and that he suffered on occasion from a certain body odor.

"Women who are confident, capable and express their viewpoints are often called emotional, psychotic or menopausal. Women who supported women are called lesbians," she alleged.

The sales and market development manager, who handled outsourcing business deals for Wipro, said she was treated like dirty goods after ending the affair and lodging complaints about her treatment.

Ukil claimed she was punished for submitting to those advances and for daring to speak out.

Apart from sexual discrimination and a claim over equal pay Ukil, of Kensington, west London, is claiming harassment and unfair dismissal. Ukil also claimed she was paid far less than male staff, earning up to £75,000-a-year rather than the typical £150,000 paid to male equivalents.

A number of other women had left Wipro because of similar experiences, her statement to the tribunal claimed, the Telegraph reported. Ukil, represented by Slater and Gordon solicitors, said she had been unemployed since leaving Wipro.

“Wipro’s policy on conflict of interest requires employees to disclose to the organization any personal relationship that could create conflict. Failure to disclose such relationships would result in disciplinary action including and up to separation. Following an impartial inquiry, both Manoj Punja and Shreya Ukil were relieved from the services of the company after it was established beyond reasonable doubt that they had violated the stated policy,” Wipro added in the statement.

PS: CIOL welcomes the prompt action taken by Wipro, and like you dear readers, we too await the final verdict in this case.